The U.S. women’s soccer team’s 3-0 win over China at Qualcomm Stadium Thursday night was really just the sideshow to the main story: How would the team rebound with a new coach at the helm and what happens now?

Jill Ellis, formerly the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Director of Development, was thrust into the spotlight this week when she was named interim head coach after Tom Sermanni was fired on Sunday.

Ellis had to rush out to San Diego from her home in Miami, Fla. to coach the team this week. Even though she led the Americans to a win, the future is still murky.

Ellis said Thursday night that her first step would be to take a couple of days to process the events of the last week.

Then, “I’ll probably have a conversation with (U.S. Soccer CEO) Dan (Flynn) and (president) Sunil (Gulati) and figure out where I go from here,” Ellis said.

She’s been in this position before. When Pia Sundhage resigned as head coach in 2012, Ellis was named interim head coach. She led the U.S. women to a 5-0-2 record before pulling herself out of the running for the head coaching position.

Ellis did not indicate whether she’s changed her mind about the job, but when asked if she should be considered the favorite for the position this time around, she said, “That’s not my decision.”

The U.S. women now go back to their club teams, and the majority of the team will begin the NSWL season this weekend.

Their next match is against Canada, in Winnipeg on May 8. Will there be a new coach in place by then?

That’s anyone’s guess right now, and it doesn’t sound as if Ellis or the players have any idea.

“I assume a new coach will be named before the next match, but at this point, we’re all going back to our clubs,” goalkeeper Hope Solo said. “Between now and then, Sunil and Dan will make up their minds.”

Ellis’ goal, in the meantime, is to stay the course and start getting the team ready for World Cup qualifying.

Much has been made of the team’s fluctuating lineups this year, as Sermanni tried to balance veteran talent with a burgeoning crop of talented youngsters.

When Ellis looks at her team, she sees depth and potential.

“This is as deep a team as we’ve had in a few years,” Ellis said. “I think there’s a lot of good parts of this group. A lot of experience, but also an influx of youth, and I think that’s going to help us.”

The goal now is to find a way to mesh young and old in the most effective combination possible, and get them comfortable with the 4-3-3 formation that they debuted in their two-game series against China.

“This is a new system and this is the second game they’ve played it,” Ellis said, adding that she’d like the team to work on “just understanding lines and positions and establishing roles.”

“They’ve had probably six months where a lot of different people have played and gotten opportunities,” Ellis said. “And as we get closer and closer to qualifying, you’ve got to identify your core players.”